Chinese underground bishop released

Beijing, China, Apr 26, 2006 / 12:00 am (CNA).- A
Chinese bishop of the "underground" Catholic Church has been released
after five months in police custody, reports AsiaNews. He remains
however, under house arrest.

Bishop Giulio
Jia Zhiguo, 70, returned April 19 to his residence, where he is under
constant police surveillance. His release occurred while Chinese leader
Hu Jintao was visiting the United States, local sources pointed out.

The bishop had
been arrested Nov. 8, kept in isolation and subjected to heavy pressure
to join the government-sponsored Catholic Patriotic Association. This
was the eighth arrest for Bishop Jia since 2004; he has now spent 20
years in prison over his lifetime.

Bishop Jia is
among the most prominent leaders of the Catholic community in the Hebei
province, where government officials have undertaken a vigorous
campaign to suppress the underground Church.

Despite the
frequent arrest and interrogation of Catholic clerics, there are an
estimated 1 million people active in China’s underground Church.